According to EW, fans will be getting their first “Special Edition” of the new Star Wars era with the October 26th ABC broadcast of Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion, featuring an additional scene starring the Dark Lord of the Sith: Darth Vader. Making the appearance even cooler is the news that the original voice of Vader, James Earl Jones, will be returning to iconic role.
This isn’t Jones’ first reprisal of the masked villain who is more machine now than man, as he did the voice work for the cameo appearance at the end of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Hopefully this time around he’ll have more interesting things to say than “NOOOOOOOOO!”
Here’s The Clone Wars guru and Star Wars Rebels executive producer Dave Filoni on the appearance:
“We wanted to do something special for the ABC broadcast. We’ve added a scene which gives audiences insight into the Inquisitor and includes a cameo by Darth Vader voiced by the distinguished actor James Earl Jones.”
While this is certainly a gimmick to get fans who’ve already watched the movie on The Disney Channel to tune in to ABC, I wouldn’t be surprised if this isn’t the last we’ll see of Darth Vader on Star Wars Rebels. The character is certainly a looming presence during this time frame and will always draw in extra viewers, so hopefully they’ve got James Earl Jones signed for a multiple appearance deal.
darth vader james earl jones star wars: rebels